Same same but different and disliked
by Nithela
Summary: Sequel to How to save a life. Being the daughter of a blinded Fullmetal is no picnic. Rating may and will likely go up in the later chapters.


**Nithela speaks: Well hello! I'm back! And it's a SEQUEL -woot woot-! I really promised myself not to do a sequel to "How to save a life", but I've got this idea, see, and now I really want to give you a story about my latest creation, Elena Elric. It will mostly be from her... er, not POV, but it'll follow her pretty much. And I have a plot at the ready for this special occasion. So here it is. It will have pretty much angst, a bit of humor, just a pinch of fluff, and if I don't change my mind, some action too! And, in the later chapters, more adult themes.**

**And this is _just a prologue_, to see if there is any interest for my piece of fiction.**

**Warnings: Partially rather depressing I'm afraid. OCcentric -oh gasp-. Blind!Ed.**

**Disclaimer: The plot and Elena is mine, nothing else.**

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**_"Blissful ignorance"_**

"But why, Mommy?"

"I've told you not to go there!"

"But... she looks so alone!"

"Well, she isn't! Come on, honey. Let's go to the other girls."

A young mother took her daughter's hand and led her away from a corner of the big sandbox. Said daughter kept casting glances backwards, at a small, blonde figure sitting indian-style with a bright red spade in her hand. She had apparently not noticed the loss of her new playmate; she gave the fortress she was building a thoughtful look before attacking one of the walls with her tool.

Alphonse sighed in poorly hidden resignation as he watched the scene. His grey eyes moved from the group of children chasing eachother in a round of tag at the other end of the playing ground, to their parents, who were watching them vigilantly. As soon as the game moved too close to the solitare girl, they would call them back.

He closed the magazine he had found on the ground and looked around the well-known park. There were swings, small houses painted in mismatching, gay colors, rope nets to climb in, metallic slides that usually became too hot to use in the summer, and numerous sand boxes. Mighty trees lined the low fence around the grounds, giving blessed shadow to the waiting mom's and dad's on the benches. It was a nice place; there was not much traffic on the streets around it, and the whole park had an aura of tranquility.

The half-done creation collapsed for his niece, and Al could hear a highly offended yell coming from her. She threw the spade away and resolutely put her palms together.

In the same moment that blue lightning emerged and encased the pile of sand, the other children's parents' somewhat tensed atmosphere increased and some of them hurried towards their sons and daughters. Al felt a wave of irritation towards them build up inside his chest and moved over the sandbox to the cause of it all.

She looked up briefly to acknowledge that she had noticed him.

"Hi uncle."

He bent down to her level and gave her a weak smile, though she was looking around for the spade she just had thrown away, declaring his "interesting" level to be below zero.

"Hey Elena." He said, noticing the looks he recieved from the parents. "Time to go home."

She found the tool and began crawling on all fours towards it, where it lay a couple of meters away. Her red, knee-long dress got dirtier by every move and her hair hung loosely over her back with sand gushing from it. He silently wondered how she could manage getting so messed up by sitting practically still for half and hour.

"Why?" She asked. "We haven't been here for that long."

"I know, but I'll have to make dinner and Dad will be home from work soon."

Elena grabbed the spade and looked around in puzzlement, her golden eyes growing big.

"Where did she go? My friend?"

Al took her hand and helped her up.

"She..." He saw, in the corner of his vision, how the others watched his every move. "She had to go home. Come on."

Still holding her hand, he made his way towards the entrance of the park. Elena followed suit, unknowing of the sudden chill in the air when they passed a couple of families on their way. She began singing some random children's song as they crossed the street and did not walk, but bounced her way home. Al couldn't help but smile at her innocence.

As they had gotten inside, he helped her undoing the intricate lacing that made sure that her shoes stayed on her feet; they had the bad habit to get lost otherwise, and she hadn't figured out how it worked yet.

"Uncle?" She asked as she switched her weight from one foot to the other.

"Hmm?"

"Am I an abomination?"

His head snapped up with such speed that he almost had a whiplash injury.

"Who_ said _that? " He gasped as he looked at Elena, who blinked in surprise at his reaction.

"I just heard it from Anne at the day nursery. What does it mean?"

Al saw movement behind her and looked up, and his niece turned to follow his gaze.

Edward was standing in the doorway to his room, apparently in the middle of changing from uniform to everyday clothes; his jacket was gone and the shirt half-unbuttoned.

Elena forgot all about the subject and threw her arms around her father's legs, hugging him tightly, and Ed put his flesh hand on her head to ruffle her hair.

"Sand, huh? Have you been at the park?" He asked absent-mindedly.

Al's gaze wandered to his automail – the doorpost in his grasp had almost turned into splinters.

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**Nithela speaks: Let's see if you liked it. Remember, this is just a prologue, thus the shortness of the chapter.**


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